March 29, 2012

Last year the New York Times published an uh, interesting “review” for Game of Thrones. I’m sure many of you remember it: reviewer Ginia Bellafante called the series boy fiction and the tide of internet rage was felt far and wide. I was ticked, and I wasn’t alone. Boo on sweeping generalizations. This year, a different New York Times reviewer has made a different, equally dismissive generalization. Neil Genzlinger says:

“What “Game of Thrones” needs if it is to expand its fan base beyond Dungeons & Dragons types is what most of the United States didn’t get this year: a hard winter. Life in this particular fantasy land consists of seasons of indeterminate length, and since the series began there have been references to an impending winter of fearsome power.”

Yeah, only Dungeons & Dragons types watch the series. You may as well say, “this show’s just for the nerds.” Never mind two co-workers of mine who are not in the least into anything fantasy or sci-fi (seriously, one of them didn’t know who Darth Vader was until the Volvo Superbowl commercial last year) who salivated over Game of Thrones last year and can’t wait for the upcoming season to begin. And actually, other than myself, I can only think of a handful of people who watch and adore the series and also play D&D. I realize I’m taking this to the most literal example, but that’s what the statement is sort of forcing me to do.

It’s one thing to say, “if you like D&D, you might like this series.” I do that in reviews. It’s entirely different to classify the entire audience into one generic group. Also? How about not assuming people are stupid? In regards to the number of characters, Genzlinger says the following after mentioning the number of kings, armies, etc now milling about and how there is no one person for the series to focus on now that Ned’s gone:

“The character board for the series on HBO’s Web site has 49 head shots on it. Thinking of jumping into the new season without having seen the first? Don’t even try; your brain doesn’t have that many neurons.”

I’m not denying it’s a lot of characters. It is. Sure, people are asking who the heck was who after an episode but eventually it sinks in. Viewers are smart and can handle it whether they have or haven’t read the books. In some ways, Game of Thrones is like a daytime soap opera. I mean, as far as I know there aren’t many decapitations on weekday afternoon television, but there are huge ensemble casts. Soap operas rotate between several characters and families and layers are built up bit by bit. People are perfectly able keep up with names and faces. Sure, they have repeated exposure with soap operas, but they'll recognize people from week to week.

Also, assuming the viewership is lazy is also bad practice (and lazy):

“Some people love this kind of stuff, of course, and presumably those addicted to the George R. R. Martin books on which the series is based will immerse themselves in Season 2, just as they did in Season 1. Will anyone else? You have to have a fair amount of free time on your hands to stick with “Game of Thrones,” and a fairly low reward threshold. If decapitations and regular helpings of bare breasts and buttocks are all you require of your television, step right up.”

The people who have read the books aren’t the only ones watching this series. There’s no way it could have got to season 2 without grabbing the attention of a broader audience. This show isn’t for everyone (no show is), but the first season garnered praise from critics darn near across the board. One of the supporting actors won an Emmy. Sure, nudity and bloodshed aren’t exactly rare happenings in Westeros, but I’d be very surprised to learn if those were the only two reasons for anyone tuning in.

When season 3 comes around, maybe the New York Times will just talk about the series and not focus on the audience. People have opinions, it's fine that reviewers dislike the series. But maybe, just maybe they'll leave the condescending tone out next time. Hopefully. But I’m not going to hold my breath.

March 28, 2012

There's no denying that the Imperial March is popular. Many fans rank it at the top of their lists for favorite Star Wars or John Williams music. The version from the movie is perfect as is but because fans are fans, you can find the imposing tune being played by almost anything. Bagpipes to frogs to Tesla coils - they're all here. I dug through many a YouTube video, and these are my ten favorite interpretations:

By floppy disks:

Froggy version:

Scratched:

Barking dogs:

Marching band (the Buckingham Palace marching band):

iPhone ocarina:

Tesla coils:

On the Les Paul Google doodle:

The bagpipe:

Minecraft:

I don't feel even a little bad if I've gotten the Imperial March stuck in your head.

March 26, 2012

Since The Hunger Games was released to the world over the weekend, I've seen and heard a few people – mostly folks who haven't read the books yet - ask why it's called the Hunger Games. Why Hunger and not just Games of Death? One person assumed the movie featured people starving, and it's a fair guess. As someone who's read the books and proclaimed their amazing-ness to the world, I was turned to for answers by a couple of those people. And I realized there's not a straightforward one. I can't recall any specific point in the books when anyone explained why the death match was specifically called The Hunger Games. As with many points in Suzanne Collins' series, it's left open to interpretation. In the context of the series, Hunger can have multiple meanings.

In The Arena

Getting food is key for tributes to survive in the arena. Without water and food, weapons and slaughter don't matter. Hunger equals weakness. The Careers hoard the food from the cornucopia as much for themselves as to keep it from the other tributes. People are easier to kill if they aren't strong. It's hunger that leads Foxface to the poisonous berries Peeta collected.

Starvation doesn't prove to be a very entertaining method of death for the crowds though, so the Gamemakers don't always permit it.

Everyone's Starving

The Capitol controls the food, and though some districts even grow food, they don't get to keep all of it. Most of the districts are effectively always hungry. It may not come across as well into the movie, but the folks of District 12 at least are starving. Some outright die of starvation. That's why Katniss goes hunting. In the arena, Rue talks to Katniss about a similar situation in District 11 (not in the movie) so you get the impression that's widespread.

Districts 1 and 2 might not be as hungry, but tributes from those districts usually win the games and are rewarded with food. Winning the games isn't just about surviving, it's about bringing a little affluence to your home district. If you win, everyone wins. The Capitol punishes all the other districts by letting them go hungry.

The Tesserae

Across Panem, children eligible for reaping can choose to take tesserae to help keep their families from starving. Since most families are struggling and in need of all the food they can get, many take this option if they can. The deal is you can have your name added additional times to the reaping, once per family member, in exchange for the same number of tesserae. The tesserae allows the family to collect oil and grain rations once a month for a year. The rations are meager, but they can make a difference between life and death.

This means people increase their odds for being picked as tribute in order to help feed their families. Though Katniss is only 16, her name is the reaping bowl 20 times. If she wouldn't have needed to get food for her family, she would have only had her name in five times at the most. Being hungry leads to a greater chance of being in the games.

The Bloodthirsty Capitol

The Capitol is hungry for violence, blood, and death. Like spectators of the gladiators, the citizens of Panem's Capitol practically salivate in anticipation for the games. They are entertained, they crave it. They see it as a necessary part of life. This may be the most simple reason but true nonetheless.

The Rebellion / Creation of the Games

The Hunger Games are a warning. It's an annual punishment for the uprising; the Games are a reminder that the districts are at the Capitol's mercy. The Capitol, President Snow, controls all. The government can force the districts to sacrifice two children every year and turn it into a sporting event. They hold power over everything, including all the supplies, and if people resist, they will go hungry. Hunger is a constant threat the Capitol holds over the citizens of Panem.

Though my personal opinion is that the name links back to the rebellion and that the Capitol controls the food, it's easy to make a case for most of these explanations. Maybe they all contribute to some degree. It's a tribute (ha, see what I did there) to Collins' complex world-building that all of these are on the table.

WonderCon 2012: JIM LEE Spotlight Panel - Jim Lee showed off his iPhone photo library and we got to see works in progress and hear some answers to fan questions about the new 52 and a Punisher/Nick Fury graphic novel that almost was.

DC Nation: Expanding the World of DC on TV - I talked with producers Ben Jones and Lauren Faust about who we can expect to see on the DC Nation shorts and what it's like to work in such a time-restrictive format.

March 21, 2012

The Hunger Games film is out in just a couple of days, and I can hardly wait.

I sat down last week to write a review of an anthology analyzing all the aspects of The Hunger Games (review here), and even though I usually have difficulty getting book reviews out, I couldn't type fast enough. It reminded me of when I practically wrote nothing but articles about Harry Potter when the last movie came out. The words just poured onto the page. I didn't quite realize how much the series affected me, and apparently it's the same with The Hunger Games.

I devoured the series about a year and a half ago. I remember finishing The Hunger Games late at night and considering whether I could speed to any store that was still open to get the next book. It wasn't available as an ebook yet, so I had to wait until the next day. I went ahead and bought the next two books.

I fell in love with Katniss. Here was a strong, yet fragile female protagonist who fought tooth and nail. Above all else, Katniss is a survivor. Sure, Gale and Peeta are there and I've had discussions about the merits of each of them, but I'm firmly on Team Katniss. To me, the illusion of love rather than the actual act is more influential throughout most of the series. It's the game within the Games.

The similarities between the dystopian world Suzanne Collins created and our very real world struck me, too. How many steps are our reality television shows away from the Hunger Games? We live in a world where gladiator arenas existed; it's not such a stretch. The Capitol of Panem reeks of excess, and I think some corners of our country are on par with the decadence we see there.

Besides the elements of the books that grab me, I love the enthusiasm of the fans. I usually encounter two groups of people when I mention the Hunger Games. The first group is passionate about it and ready to dive into intense debates about Coin vs. Snow and the parallels between Panem and our country. You know, like the wonderful folks who devised a map showing where Panem is in the United States. Or like my sister who had a mockingjay tattoo within just a few weeks of reading the series. The other group tends to be snobby naysayers. They either say that they don't read young adult stories or books teenage girls like (ugh) or ask me if I've heard of Battle Royale. For the most part, the latter refused to even pick up The Hunger Games because Battle Royale is better. Maybe it is, I don't know, I haven't read them both (see how I'm not just assuming the one I've read is better).

Anyways.

I point it out because I've rarely come across anyone who is just middle of the road on The Hunger Games. I also can't remember meeting anyone who hated the series. Several people think the third book is less than spectacular (while I don't love the ending, it fits the story and I admire Collins for not taking the easy path), but to hear such overwhelmingly positive feedback? It doesn't happen all that often.

Have you read the Hunger Games? Will you be seeing the movie this weekend? Let me know in the comments!

March 15, 2012

Somehow WonderCon is happening in mere days. I've only been once before, and I attended when it was in San Francisco. It was temporarily moved to Anaheim this year due to construction at the Moscone Center. Though I'm happy that it's in my backyard, Anaheim just isn't San Francisco. Anyways, I digress.

I had a fantastic time at WonderCon last year, and if you're in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend the convention. It's smaller and so much more manageable than San Diego and has a ton of personality. I can't say that I've had pleasant experiences with the Anaheim Convention Center, but maybe this will turn it around.

I'm actually working a ton at this convention; I'll be doing panel write-ups, interviews, etc for four outlets. I'm going to try to wander the floor as much as possible when I'm there Saturday and Sunday. Please say hi if you run into me, I'm pretty nice and rarely bite. If nothing else, you can definitely catch me at the League of Extraordinary Ladies tiki drink spectacular Saturday night.

And if you're going to be at the convention, may I recommend checking out these awesome people and companies?

March 10, 2012

Once Upon a Time: "Dreamy" Review - Last week's Once Upon a Time featured Amy Acker (Fred on Angel) as a fairy who falls for Dreamy the dwarf... I can't say I liked the episode much.

Superheroic Fun in the Fifties - It's Silver Age DC month at Blastoff Comics so last week I read the Superman/Batman In the Fifties collections. It was my first time really reading Superman, and I was struck by how fun both of the collections were. Read more at Blastoff.

March 7, 2012

I know. You're wondering what in the world Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and grilled cheese could possibly have in common. I mean, they probably ate them at some point but besides that assumption, it seems ridiculous to pair them. Unless you want to write about a grilled cheese sandwich you made last week.

In all fairness, this didn't come from my brain. The geniuses at Melt Bar & Grilled, a grilled cheese restaurant for crying out loud, partner with a nearby theater to have regular movie nights. They design sandwiches to accompany the flicks. Yeah, they've got serious smarts. For a showing of the movie about the coolest turtles ever, they fashioned a pizza roll melt! Grilled cheese with pizza rolls! Cowabunga, indeed. The ingredients include: "Real cheese pizza rolls deep fried until extra spicy and atomic hot. Rich homemade marinara. Green ooze basil pesto cream cheese. Provolone and Romano cheese." You can add pepperoni. Here's their flyer advertising the special melt:

Not being anywhere near this amazing sandwich, I decided to make a version at home. And schnikes, it was a perfect combo. My ingredients obviously aren't as fresh, so I imagine adding the likes of homemade pizza rolls or pesto would really knock it out of the park. My lazy self went with these options:

Brush the bread with butter or olive oil (I put mine in a panini press rather than grilling it, and it was still incredibly messy).
Mix equal parts cream cheese and pesto. Spread on both the top and bottom slices of bread. Put one or two slices of provolone on each slice of bread, followed by approximately two-three tablespoons of shredded romano cheese on each slice. Put as many baked pizza rolls (it's best to put them in the sandwich right of the oven so they stay molten, burn the skin off your lips hot) as you can fit on one of the slices and put as much marinara sauce as you want on top of them (I put the marinara in the middle of the sandwich so the bread wouldn't get crazy soggy). Put the two halves of your ginormous sandwich together. There's no pretty way to do it, cheese is going to end up on your floor.

Grill or squish in the panini press until the bread is crispy and more importantly, the cheese is melted. Devour while it's hot. If you don't get covered in marinara sauce eating it, you're doing something wrong.

People demanded photos when I talked about my monstrosity of a sammich on Twitter, but it just isn't a photogenic meal. The photo I snapped with my iPhone didn't show it as sexy food porn, just a second rate hot mess. A hot, delicious mess.
You can call it TMNT grilled cheese (especially if you want to post about it on your geek-themed blog), or you can just call it yummy.

March 5, 2012

I've had an itch to cross stitch lately. It's been a while since I picked up an embroidery hoop, but I remember it being a relaxing activity. And it is, though it's a bit time consuming. It doesn't hurt that there are so many geeky cross stitch patterns available now. Though I've rounded up some great examples of nerd cross stitch in the past, I figured it was time to post patterns so I could get all of you hooked as well.

Besides the pattern, you just need cross stitch fabric (the pattern should tell you what size), needles, an embroidery hoop, and embroidery floss. It's a pretty affordable hobby until you're finished with a project and need to frame it. Even so, you can find affordable frames at Ikea, Michaels, and Jo-Ann's (especially if you save coupons). If you don't want to frame, check out this tutorial from EPBOT about putting your finished piece on a wood backing.

Want a cuddly tauntaun head, pop culture quotes, the Dark Mark, or Ron Swanson in stitches? Then shop at Bombastitch. Patterns are in the $4 range and are emailed to you within 24 hours (often much faster). She also offers complete kits with all the pieces you need! No trips to the craft store necessary.

Little pixel people are the best. Wee Little Stitcheshas a whole collection of your favorite groups in tiny stitches. Seriously. Batman villains, Watchmen, Shaun of the Dead, Princess Bride, all the Doctor Who incarnations, and Harry Potter are just a few of the designs this seller offers. Patterns range from $4-9.

Need a TARDIS or a Direwolf? The Crafty Companion has these and options from more fandoms. Patterns are $3 and up.

There are even some FREE patterns out there you can download and use.

You can find free dorky patterns in the form of downloadable PDFs on the Dork Stitch blog.

March 2, 2012

I spent Leap Year day sleepily stumbling through Disneyland and California Adventures. Disneyland announced it would be open 24 hours straight for Leap Year, and the event was tagged One More Disney Day. As soon as I heard about, I knew I'd be participating if for no other reason than that I wanted to be in Disneyland at 3am to see what it was like. I took the day off work and planned to arrive at 6am. Key word being planned.

I watched my Twitter list of Disneyland news sites anxiously the night before. Folks started lining up at 10pm, presumably to get the free commemmorative Mouse ears Disney was giving to the first 2,000 people. I had visions of sitting in traffic and not being able to get into the parking garage (it didn't open until 5am). I rolled out of bed at 4:45am and saw tweets about the long lines for the security check and braced for the worst. I ended up arriving at the park shortly after 7am. I didn't have any issues parking, in fact, we ended up on just the second level, and got right onto a tram. I also didn't experience any lines for the bag check, purchasing tickets, or getting through the front gate. I ate an okay breakfast at the River Belle Terrace (so sad that Carnation Cafe was closed) and immediately started in on rides. I even rode on some Main Street vehicles for the first time (I SO love that I can still have first time experiences even though I go to Disneyland several times a year).

Knowing that I'd have hours and hours at Disneyland, I left the park around 11am to spend most of the day in California Adventures. That park is becoming more and more fun, and it was easy to burn through the afternoon there. I checked out new-to-me attractions and ate as much as possible. I literally made a list of snacks and food (I know, I'm anal) I wanted to consume because I had so many extra hours and eating is one of my favorite actitivites in the parks. There were churros and beignets and lunch at the Lucky Fortune Cookery (the spicy Korean beef was tasty). Not all at the same time, of course.

It felt like a normal day at the park, even light. Sort of like a winter weekend day. That is until everyone got off work.

I exited California Adventures around 6-6:30 for a break. I came back to the parks around 7:45pm after consuming coffee and charging my phone in the car; I needed to use a fast pass on Star Tours before heading back out for a meet-up with friends in Downtown Disney. I was shocked to see the lines for the entrance gate stretch back more than halfway across the plaza to DCA. I've never such long lines to get into the park. Given that, I decided I wouldn't be exiting the park for the meet-up after all because I was concerned I wouldn't get back in. It turned out to be a good call. The park ended up closing because it reached capacity around 10pm. Whoa.

The crowds got thick. People started holding spots for the 1am Fantasmic showing well before 11pm, and Disney didn't have traffic control in place. Getting from Frontierland to New Orleans Square was a challenge not unlike sitting on the 405 (Disney did eventually get some cast members in the area to manage traffic flow). Even with the herds, I still managed to get into the Haunted Mansion in less than 30 minutes. After a snack break with friends at Bengal BBQ (the brownie skewer was delicious, everything's better on a stick!), our group joined other friends in the Fantasmic viewing area and I curled up into a tiny ball and passed out until the 1am show.

Not as many people left after Fantasmic as I thought would (and hoped would). We wandered over to the Storybook Land Canal boats, and I noticed along the way that lines were getting longer and longer. I think Space Mountain got to 170 minutes at one point? Crazy. My phone had long since died (despite me trying to charge it in random places like Mickey Mouse's house in Toontown) so I just listened to others telling stories of friends still in line trying to get tickets and the crazy traffic jams on the freeway and streets in the surrounding area. At some point, the park apparently re-opened ticket sales.

Despite the late hour (around 2am by now), everyone I encountered was in high spirits. The park played a song every hour over the loud speakers to keep energy up, and whatever song they played then resulted in a dancing conga line. We were all way too happy to be at the park during hours when it would normally be closed.Though I was having fun, the sleepy started to kick in. It really took over after sitting for just a little too long to see the Enchanted Tiki Room. Around 3:30am, I called it a day. A long, FUN, 20 hour day. Though decent crowds of people were leaving, there were still people in line buying tickets. I mean, maybe they were upgrading to annual passes, at least I hope. I couldn't imagine paying full price for just 2.5 hours. We only had to wait a short amount of time for a tram and had no issues getting out of the parking garage.

As it turns out, Disneyland is the same at 3am as it is every other hour of the day but it felt different. It just felt cooler to be there after hours, even with the hoardes of people.

In the aftermath of the next day, I learned that Disneyland didn't project attendance anywhere close to accuracy. The park shattered attendance records! This post at Mice Age states 106,000 people entered the park. Yowza. They had planned for no more than 55,000. Oops. I imagine Disney offices were a bit uh, frantic Thursday morning. Cast members were probably just happy they survived. I'm not sure that I would do it again unless it was a more limited crowd thing, but I'm definitely glad I went!